SUNDAY UPDATE, writethru: Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw hit the ground running in China this weekend, muscling in on an estimated $102M (RMB 721M) three-day debut. That sets a new all-time August opening record for the market and is the 2nd best bow of 2019 on a studio movie there. Overall, the Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham spinoff this weekend grossed another $120.4M from 68 markets for an offshore cume of $441.2M and a worldwide tally of $588.9M.

The rush from China, which includes an August-best IMAX bow of $8.6M, also helps pump the F&F franchise across the $4B mark at the international box office, and $5.6B globally.

The China debut was slightly lower than running estimates throughout the frame (see below), but is nevertheless a brawny performance. The franchise is a big draw in the Middle Kingdom while Johnson and Statham also have keen bases. Hobbs & Shaw is currently tracking ahead of Fast 6, The Meg, Rampage and Skyscraper in China and has clear runway ahead. The social scores weren’t stellar, with an 8.6 on Maoyan and a 6.4 on Douban. However, some recent pics with similar notes have done upwards of 2x opening business.

Also setting an August record this weekend, The Lion King roared into Italy with a $15.9M mouthful. The multi-quad Disney pic, which added a total $30M this session, has now crossed $1.5B in global box office. The pride’s overseas cume is estimated at $997.9M for $1,508.5M worldwide through Sunday. TLK is currently the No. 9 movie of all time globally and will soon pass both Furious 7 and The Avengers to bump further up the chart.

Through Monday, the international tally on the Jon Favreau-directed return to Simba should top $1B. This would see TLK become only the 9th movie ever to cross that threshold, and the 4th from the Mouse.

After a sensational debut last weekend, Sony/Bona’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood added $28M from 55 markets. The overseas cume is now $116.6M for $239.8M globally. Quentin Tarantino’s celebration of 1969 LA was No. 1 this session in 23 holdover markets, including France, the UK, Germany and Spain. It was also tops in five new hubs that include Mexico for QT’s best-ever start there, at $2.4M.

While play-through continues, the Venice Film Festival gets underway this week and folks will be holding their collective breath for It: Chapter Two beginning September 4 overseas. In the meantime, next weekend includes anticipated Indian pic Saaho and the debut of Chinese smash Ne Zha in the UK (as well as North America).

Breakdowns on this week’s films above and more have been updated below (NB: we are waiting on Angel Has Fallen figures although comScore puts it at $8.4M this weekend).

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONSFAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW The David Leitch-directed spinoff shot to an estimated $102M debut in China, setting records for the best August opening of all time; the 2nd biggest Hollywood start in 2019 (behind Avengers: Endgame); the 3rd highest FSS opening of 2019; and the 2nd best FSS launch in the franchise, coming in behind just The Fate Of The Furious which still holds the record as biggest FSS opening weekend of all time in China at RMB 1.3B. (F7 opened on a Sunday.)

Overall this weekend, the take was $120.4M in 68 markets for a $441.2M overseas cume and $588.9M worldwide to give H&S the No. 1 slot on this frame’s international and global charts.

In China, where the series, Johnson and Statham excel, the film is outpacing Fast 6, The Meg, Rampage and Skyscraper. H&S played at 10,655 locations in China and was a clear No. 1 over local smash, Ne Zha, which found itself at No. 2 for the first time in its month-long run (and now at $650M in the market). The social scores on H&S were lower than recent F&F movies, but that didn’t hamper the start which came in above the $100M some were predicting pre-launch.

The recent F&F titles are not an apples-to-apples comp, and the overall performance on the pricey pic is strong, particularly for a spinoff. Taking into account the overseas (excluding China) drops of some recent spinoffs versus the previous franchise film, H&S is off F8 by about 46% while Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them ended 45% below the final Harry Potter movie and Bumblebee was down 32% from the Transformers installment before it.

H&S is expected to do over $700M globally; finance sources suggest a nice profit to come.

The Top 5 markets to date are China ($102M), Japan ($25.5M), Korea ($22M), the UK ($21.4M) and Russia ($18M).

In IMAX, H&S opened to $8.6M on 623 China screens, setting a new August record and topping Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s $7.1M. The debut is also the 2nd biggest IMAX China bow for the F&F franchise. Worldwide, H&S has put $30.5M in the IMAX tank to date.

THE LION KING Hakuna Matata indeed. Disney’s The Lion King put its paw print on another $30M from 56 material markets this session, lifting the overseas cume to just shy of $1B ($997.9M) and global to $1,508.5M. The Jon Favreau directed pic is now the No. 9 movie of all time worldwide (and will keep moving up the chart). When it passes $1B offshore, more than likely tomorrow, it will be only the 9th film ever to do so.

Italy is the final market to release and this weekend welcomed the pride with open wallets, spending $15.9M across five days. This is the 2nd best Disney opening ever there (behind only Endgame) and the highest ever August bow of all time. ` Elsewhere in Europe, TLK is now the top Disney release ever in Spain (surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens), the No. 12 highest grossing release of all time in the UK and the No. 8 highest grossing movie overall across the region.

In Latin America, The Lion King is the 4th biggest industry film by admissions, behind only Endgame, Toy Story 4 and Infinity War.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Quentin Tarantino’s hot August nights continued this weekend as his love letter to 1969 LA added another $28M from 12,000+ screens in 55 markets. The offshore cume on the Sony/Bona title is now $116.6M for $239.8M worldwide. It has topped Pulp Fiction globally, now sitting behind Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds, and with more play ahead.

Europe is leaning into the film that first debuted at Cannes in May. France led play this session, adding $3.1M at No. 1 for a $12.3M cume. In the UK, Hollywood was also tops again and has now tallied up $14.8M. Same goes for Germany ($10.1M cume) and Spain ($7.3M cume). The Russia and Australia totals are also strong at $15.7M and $8.5M, respectively.

Mexico was the key new hub with a No. 1 bow at $2.4M to give QT his best-ever launch in the market. The film is tracking 207% ahead of The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Upcoming key markets include Japan next weekend, followed by Italy and Korea in September.

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2 Winging to another $10.2M this weekend from 10,200+ screens in 43 markets, Sony/Rovio’s sequel now has an overseas cume of $47.6M. New openings included: India ($870K), Spain ($560K) and Peru ($380K). China has now cumed an estimated $16.4M amid stiff competition, and is on track for a $21M finish, sharply down from the previous entry and despite overall positive reviews. There are many markets still to come including Mexico, Australia, Italy, Germany, Brazil and France.

TOY STORY 4 Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4 has now grossed $1.031B globally, hopping past Zootopia ($1.024B) and Finding Dory ($1.029B) to become the No. 6 animated release of all time. Next in Forky’s sights is Despicable Me 3 ($1.035B). This is all before Scandinavia opens.

The current weekend was $4.3M in 32 markets for an offshore cume of $604.2M. The Top 5 markets through Sunday are Japan ($86.7M), UK ($78.3M), Mexico ($71.9M), Brazil ($32.5M) and China ($29.1M).

SATURDAY UPDATE: After taking the act to China on Friday, Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is crossing $500M worldwide today, and will close in on $600M through the end of Sunday, landing just south of that next milestone. With Saturday estimates, the split through today is expected to hit $144.5M domestic and $408M at the international box office for a running global tally of $552.5M. The Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham brawn-and-banter spinoff will also have bragging rights to pushing the international F&F franchise total past $4B, while the worldwide gross tops $5.6B through this weekend.

When it opened earlier this month, H&S was No. 1 at the domestic and global box office for two consecutive weekends and is now on track for a No. 1 bow in China this frame. The Middle Kingdom debuted with muscle on Friday (see below) and is estimated at $75M (RMB 529M) through today per Universal, and a bit higher per local reporting. The film is eyeing a $106M (RMB 750M) three-day launch session.

The full China debut projection is slightly lower than where we saw it yesterday, but would still set market benchmarks as the biggest August opening weekend ever; the 2nd best start of 2019, behind only Avengers: Endgame; and the 3rd highest FSS opening of 2019 — behind local smash The Wandering Earth (RMB 1.2B) and Endgame (RMB 1.18B), but ahead of current local hit Ne Zha (RMB 625M).

The projected Middle Kingdom bow also gives the Fast & Furious franchise its 2nd best FSS launch there ever, coming in behind just The Fate Of The Furious which still holds the record as biggest FSS opening weekend of all time in China at RMB 1.3B. (F7 opened on a Sunday.)

When it debuted in early August, H&S became Universal’s 5th highest global opening ever (behind F8, Jurassic World, F7 and Fifty Shades Of Grey). It was also the biggest 2019 worldwide debut outside the Disney or superhero realm, and the 3rd best global start for the F&F series, behind the two previous titles.

Johnson and Statham also nabbed their best bows outside the main F&F franchise. Both are sizable overseas draws, and each excels in China where the series runs high on octane.

Rounding out the Top 5 markets after China through Saturday are: Japan ($24.9M), UK ($21.2M), Korea ($20.7M) and Russia ($17.9M)

Directed by David Leitch from a story by longtime F&F narrative architect Chris Morgan and a screenplay by Morgan and Drew Pearce, H&S is produced by Johnson, Statham, Morgan and Hiram Garcia. Executive producers are Dany Garcia, Kelly McCormick, Ethan Smith, Ainsley Davies and Steven Chasman.

Further updates on Sunday.

PREVIOUS, FRIDAY: Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw muscled into China on Friday, grossing an estimated $34.5M (RMB 245M). The figures do not include Thursday midnights and rep the 2nd best debut of 2019 for an imported movie, behind only Avengers: Endgame. Overall, this is the No. 7 best opening day ever for a foreign film in the Middle Kingdom (in local currency terms).

With the $4.96M (RMB 35.2M) from Thursday’s midnights, the running come is $39.5M. The Dwayne Johnson/Jason Statham-starrer is the first action film in the market since Spider-Man: Far From Home debuted in late June ($35.5M opening day with previews included).

Pre-weekend estimates we were hearing were in the $80M-$100M range, and H&S now looks on track to beat those with a $112M+ start.

H&S, which comes to China weeks after it debuted elsewhere, also has bragging rights to ending local animated powerhouse Ne Zha’s 28-day run at No. 1 in the market (that movie has now grossed an estimated $633M, overtaking Endgame locally, and will be released domestically by WellGo USA on August 29).

The Fast & Furious franchise and its stars, who excel individually outside the series, are big business in China. Both Johnson and Statham were in Beijing earlier this month to promote the pic. However, comps to the last two F&F movies versus this spinoff in the market, as with elsewhere, are not apples-to-apples. Furious 7 ultimately did $391M while F8 revved to $393M.

The Douban score on H&S is lower than its brothers at 6.4, and while its Maoyan score is also lower, it has increased throughout the day to an 8.6. Maoyan, which can be fickle, is currently predicting a finish above $220M.

Through Thursday, and not counting China’s Friday, the international box office cume is $322.9 for $462.5M global.

The Top 5 markets through Thursday (again, not including China’s Friday) are Japan ($24.1M), UK ($20.4M), Korea ($18.2M), Russia ($17.6M) and Mexico ($16.1M).